Dubai: Nearly everyone in the UAE knows seat belts save lives. About 95 per cent of residents, in fact. So why are only 24 per cent of rear-seat passengers actually wearing one? A new survey in the UAE has identified what it calls the single biggest opportunity to reduce road fatalities in the coun»»»

The Bulgarian brewing sector has consolidated its position as one of the most dynamically developing production branches in the country. With increased investments, innovations and adaptation to consumer attitudes, the industry has made a significant contribution to the economy, regional growth and»»»

Dubai: US President Donald Trump’s claim that he no longer “cares” about Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile is raising fresh doubts about why the war was launched at all. For weeks, Trump had framed the conflict as an urgent bid to stop Tehran from building a nuclear bomb, warning Iran was ju»»»

Wolt, the local commerce platform connecting users with restaurants and shops, has announced a leadership restructure in Romania. Alexandru Ștefan, currently Head of Account Management, will take on the additional responsibility of Country Lead for Wolt Romania. The transition aims to ensure busine»»»

Caretaker Energy Minister Traicho Traikov held a working meeting with representatives of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (KRIB) and the Bulgarian Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers (BFIEC), the Energy Ministry reported here on Thursday. Talks focused on options »»»

DOHA: His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met with President of the Democratic Republic of Congo HE Félix Tshisekedi at Lusail Palace to discuss regional and international developments. The president expressed his country's solidarity with Qatar following the»»»

Adylbek Kasymaliev, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Head of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic, met with Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The meeting took place as part of the second meeting of the Heads of Government and Vice Presidents of the»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani reviewed with His Excellency Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the developments in regional and international situations, during a meeting held at Lusail Palace today, April 2, 2026. President Tshiseke»»»

Dubai: Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has published a comprehensive framework setting out minimum quality standards that private K-12 schools must meet during periods of distance and online learning. The guidelines, titled Quality Expectations for Effective Distance Learni»»»

The preservation of the Maritsa East 3 Thermal Power Plant (TPP) is key to the economy of Haskovo Region, said Vazrazhdane's top-of-the-list candidate in Haskovo Georgi Georgiev, as quoted by the party's press centre on Thursday. Energy is a matter of national security and must be safeguarded throu»»»

Dubai: A rare and endangered golden monkey has been born at Pairi Daiza, marking the first such birth in Belgium and a significant milestone for conservation efforts in Europe. The baby monkey, born on March 17, 2026, is reported to be in good health and is being closely cared for by its mother, de»»»

Dubai: The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has forecast a notable weather shift across the UAE this weekend, with fog alerts, rising temperatures, and a chance of rain set to affect residents and travellers from Friday through Sunday. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app»»»

India's defense exports "skyrocketed" to an all-time high of more than $4 billion in the last fiscal year, as it looks to boost its arms manufacturing sector, the government said Thursday. The figures mark a rise of more than 60 percent from 2024, the defense ministry said, and provide a shot in th»»»

The Dacian golden helmet of Coțofenești, one of Romania’s most significant archaeological treasures, reportedly stolen during the 2025 heist at the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands, may have been recovered, according to sources close to the investigation. The development was first signaled b»»»

OVERVIEW No single issue dominates Thursday’s media, but the note sent by Iran to Bulgaria, the security agreement signed between Bulgaria and Ukraine, and the justice minister’s request for the disciplinary dismissal of the acting prosecutor general, are among the main topics. POLITICS Speaking on»»»

Canberra, Australia: Exposure to extreme heat is increasing the risk of babies being born underweight, according to new research led by Australia's Adelaide University. The study analyzed health data from more than 85,000 mothers and babies in Pakistan, combining 10 years of birth records (2008-201»»»

Delegates stand and applaud after the adoption of the text of the High Seas Treaty at the United Nations headquarters in New York on June 19, 2023. File Photo by Justin Lane/EPA April 2 (UPI) -- Delegates were gathered in the busy corridors at United Nations headquarters in New York this week for a»»»

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - India's arms exports reached a new all-time high in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, totaling $4.1 billion, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday. "India's defense exports set a new historical high, reaching a record 384.2 billion rupees [$4.1 billion] in the 2025-2026 fis»»»

Dubai: Elon Musk’s SpaceX has taken a key step toward what could become the largest stock market debut in history, after confidentially filing for an initial public offering in the US. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The company submitted draft registration documents t»»»

April is World Autism Acceptance Month. It is a moment that has shifted from awareness to acceptance – a distinction worth pausing on. Awareness tells us something exists. Acceptance asks us what we do about it. Walk into almost any school staffroom, workplace, or family gathering and ask what peop»»»

The security features of Kyrgyzstan’s national currency, the som, are at a high level. Guras Japarov, a Doctor of Economics, said on Birinchi Radio. According to him, the National Bank uses different security elements for each denomination, all meeting required standards. «The som is generally very»»»

Speaking on Nova TV on Thursday, Bulgaria’s caretaker Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynsky said that a note is a normal diplomatic practice in a period of tensions and crises. "It is not a threat but a warning," she added, regarding a note sent by Iran to Bulgaria. "In such diplomatic notes during war»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s housing market is beginning to diverge across cities, with Jeddah recording its strongest year in recent memory while Riyadh shows signs of strain and Dammam gains ground on pricing appeal. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.According to Cavendish Ma»»»

Orange alert, the second of three warning levels, has been issued for heavy rain on Thursday in the southern Bulgarian regions of Plovdiv, Smolyan, Kardzhali and Haskovo. The four regions will get a rainfall of 35 to 65 litres per square metre. The lowest, yellow, alert is in place in 15 other regi»»»

NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission lifted off late on Wednesday (April 1) on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to begin their journey around the Moon. The SLS rocket lifted the Orion spacecraft and its four‑person crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hanson — from Nasa's »»»

Dubai: In just over a month, the global aviation industry has undergone a dramatic shift, with airfares climbing sharply across major routes, including from the UAE. What was once a relatively stable pricing environment has become volatile, as airlines grapple with rising fuel costs, reduced capaci»»»

Dubai: A new Abu Dhabi-based energy platform is taking shape to capture Asia’s surging electricity demand, with Masdar and TotalEnergies committing $2.2 billion to a joint venture that will consolidate their renewable energy operations across nine countries. Sign up for our daily business newslette»»»

President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will "finish the job" in Iran soon as "core strategic objectives are nearing completion," offering a full-throated defense of the war Wednesday night in his first national address since the conflict began more than a month ago. He used his platform before a w»»»

A mining cage drops deep beneath the Armenian capital, carrying asthma patients in helmets down into a salt cave clinic -- an alternative treatment center whose future is now at risk. State funding for the speleotherapy center in the Avan salt mine was recently cut as the small Caucasus nation roll»»»

The Ombudswoman institution has voiced strong opposition to the proposed increase in heating prices in Sofia, which is expected to approach nearly 30 percent. According to the position sent by Ombudswoman Velislava Delcheva to the Chair of the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC), Plamen M»»»

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Romania was 6% in February, the same as reported in January, according to data published on Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).According to the same source, the number of unemployed people (aged 15-74) in February 2026 was estimated »»»

Three quarters of Romanian employees (75%) feel a high financial pressure because of the latest wave of price rises, while a third of them (35%) say they are ready to find an additional activity for an extra income, an opinion poll released by eJobs on Tuesday shows. According to data centralised b»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Reads, an initiative under Qatar National Library dedicated to fostering a culture of reading across Qatar, is hosting an interactive booth at Doha Festival City, from April 1 to April 22. The activation aims to deepen engagement with the Family Reading Programme (FRP), a structu»»»

Doha, Qatar: Since entering 2026, the global automotive industry has been undergoing a dual cycle of structural adjustment and technological restructuring. In this complex market environment, Chery has demonstrated robust growth resilience and strategic focus. According to the latest data released »»»

Tripoli: The State of Qatar has taken part in a high-level Arab event on implementing the Arab strategy for older persons, held in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Libya, H E Dr Khalid Mohammed bin Zaben Al Dosari, represented the country at the event.»»»

BusinessUnited States of AmericaWealth tax: Why are countries afraid to tax the ultrarich?Timothy RooksGrowing income inequality and public displays of billionaire power are increasing calls for new income and wealth taxes aimed at the world's richest individuals. Can wealth ever be taxed fairly? h»»»

Four astronauts – three Americans and one Canadian – blasted off Wednesday on NASA’s Artemis II, humanity’s first lunar flight in over 50 years. The 32-storey rocket soared from Kennedy Space Center, marking the start of a decade-long plan for sustainable Moon exploration and a future landing near »»»

Doha, Qatar: Racing returned to Al Rayyan Racecourse after a fortnight and the highlight of the day did not disappoint as Dubawi Spectre stole the show to claim the Al Jassasiya Cup in a nail-biting finish last evening. The six-year-old gelding, owned by Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud, bided his ti»»»

Dubai: When universities across the UAE moved classes online or went hybrid, the challenge wasn’t just academic continuity, it was keeping thousands of students emotionally steady through an uncertain time. At Zayed University, Assistant Provost for Student Affairs Jane Tatterton says the solution »»»

Heavy storms lashing most of Greece have left one person dead east of Athens overnight and caused flooding and considerable disruptions, largely due to trees toppled by high winds. The Fire Service said the body of a man was recovered from under a car that had been swept away by racing floodwaters »»»

Strong winds, reaching as high as 9 on the Beaufort scale, were keeping morning ferries tied up in many parts of the country, including at Greece’s main port. As a stormy weather front dubbed Erminio continued to wreak havoc, authorities in Piraeus said all ferry departures were canceled early on T»»»

Manado, Indonesia: A major 7.4-magnitude quake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia on Thursday, killing one person, damaging buildings and sending people running into the streets in panic. The early-morning tremor in the Molucca Sea between the Sulawesi and Maluku island groups triggered wave»»»

Oil prices spiked and stocks sank on Thursday after Donald Trump reiterated that US forces would hammer Iran for another two to three weeks but offered no solution to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that has crippled global markets. Investors appeared to be unimpressed with the US president's m»»»

Violence by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has reached unprecedented levels since the start of the war with Iran, with NGOs and opposition figures denouncing an environment of impunity. While so-called "Jewish terrorism" has drawn widespread condemnation b»»»

Singapore’s reclaimed oil refining region, the 32-square-kilometre Jurong Island, has become the primary driver of record-high petrol prices in Australia as Middle East supply shocks ripple through the Asia-Pacific energy corridor, ABC Australia reports. »»»

Singapore’s reclaimed oil refining region, the 32-square-kilometre Jurong Island, has become the primary driver of record-high petrol prices in Australia as Middle East supply shocks ripple through the Asia-Pacific energy corridor, ABC Australia reports. »»»

Singapore’s reclaimed oil refining region, the 32-square-kilometre Jurong Island, has become the primary driver of record-high petrol prices in Australia as Middle East supply shocks ripple through the Asia-Pacific energy corridor, ABC Australia reports. »»»

A magnitude 7.6 tectonic earthquake struck southeast of Bitung, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, triggering small tsunami waves across coastal areas, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported on April 2, according to Antara. »»»

Singapore’s reclaimed oil refining region, the 32-square-kilometre Jurong Island, has become the primary driver of record-high petrol prices in Australia as Middle East supply shocks ripple through the Asia-Pacific energy corridor, ABC Australia reports. »»»

Singapore’s reclaimed oil refining region, the 32-square-kilometre Jurong Island, has become the primary driver of record-high petrol prices in Australia as Middle East supply shocks ripple through the Asia-Pacific energy corridor, ABC Australia reports. »»»